Last-minute withdrawal from the 2025 WTA Finals: Keys abandoned and they turned to a substitute

The WTA Finals 2025 suffered a last minute drop. The thing is Madison Keyswho was already eliminated from the tournament even though she still had one match left to play in her group, abandoned and opened the door for a substitute to compete in the closing Round Robin.

According to reports from Riyadh, The North American tennis player withdrew from the competition due to a viral illness. The same one that, curiously, affected the other player already eliminated. We are talking about Jasmine Paolini, who did not compete in the tournament with her physique at 100%.

To replace it, the organization first informed Mirra Andreevawho was the main alternate. However, the Russian tennis player told them no since she was not fit to play against Elena Rybakina. The reason is that the 18-year-old is playing in doubles alongside Diana Shnaider, where they have not been able to win any matches so far.

That is why the Kazakh rival will finally be the second substitute: Ekaterina Alexandrova. The player who entered the Top 10 for the first time in her career in October 2025. Although she defeated the tennis player from Central Asia will not be able to get into the semis of the WTA Finalsyou will be able to add a participation in this stellar tournament to your resume.